Numerous padlock constructions have been developed and are widely employed to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to any particular item or area which has been closed and locked. Although many locks are constructed to be opened by a key, numerous combination lock constructions have been developed which can be opened by knowledge of a particular combination.
One particular type of combination lock that has become very popular due to its ease and convenience of use is a combination lock which employs a plurality of rotatable independent dials, each of which forms one of the indicia, usually numerals or letters, which comprise the combination for releasing (unlocking) the lock. Typically, the combination lock has one mode, position, or state in which the user is able to set or reset the desired combination sequence (opening combination) of the dials.
It has been found that many of these prior art padlocks are employed by individuals to secure their luggage or suitcases during travel. In this regard, in airplane travel, new regulations and requirements allow customs officers and transit security personnel (hereafter collectively security personnel) to physically break any padlock in order to gain access to luggage which is deemed suspicious. Under these new security regulations, all luggage must be scanned or inspected to prevent the transportation of potentially dangerous items or products and other items deemed to be undesirable. In those instances when luggage is scanned and further visual inspection is required, the inspectors have the authority to open the luggage for visual inspection, including physically breaking any padlock which may be on the luggage.
With these new regulations presently implemented, all prior art systems which are incapable of being opened by inspectors and/or security personnel are subject to being physically broken, in order to gain access to any luggage which needs to be visually inspected. As a result, consumers (travelers) are faced with the possibility that any like system employed to protect the contents of the suitcase can be physically removed by security personnel, leaving the luggage completely unprotected during the remainder of the trip.
In order to eliminate the possibility of having a padlock completely broken by security personnel, newer prior art padlocks have been constructed with two separate and independent locking systems formed in a single padlock, with both locking systems independently enabling a single shackle to be released and/or lockingly engaged. In this way, by employing either a key activation zone or a combination activation zone, the padlock can be opened. Furthermore, padlocks of this general construction employ key controlled constructions which are opened using master keys which are in the possession of security personnel. In this way, security personnel are able to open these padlocks for inspecting the contents of the luggage, and then re-lock the padlock in place after the inspection has been completed.